GPS glitches disrupt flight tracking near Sialkot

Unusual GPS interference in the occupied Jammu and Kashmir region and the Sialkot sector is causing significant disruptions in online flight-tracking data, with several flights incorrectly appearing to have diverted to Jammu despite landing normally at Sialkot airport.

The issue has been linked by aviation experts to GPS spoofing, signal jumps, location glitches and errors in Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data. Such disruptions can cause third-party flight-tracking platforms to display an aircraft at an incorrect location.

One recent incident involved Qatar Airways flight QR630, which was approaching Sialkot airport after arriving from Doha. The flight was shown on the FlightRadar24 platform as being diverted to Jammu airport. However, the aircraft actually continued its scheduled journey and landed at Sialkot.

Similar tracking anomalies have been reported in the area before. On June 26, Dubai-bound flight FZ337 landed at Sialkot as scheduled, but tracking data incorrectly showed the aircraft as having been diverted towards Jammu.

Another incident was reported on June 27 involving Sharjah flight G9552 and Dubai flight FZ337. Both aircraft reportedly landed at Sialkot, but their tracking information showed an alternative landing at Jammu during the approach.

Several flights operating to and from Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport have also reportedly experienced similar tracking discrepancies.

Aviation experts said GPS spoofing and other signal-related disruptions can affect the location information received by flight-tracking websites. When the reported coordinates do not properly match airport codes or route data, tracking systems may display an incorrect location based on available data and default settings.

Experts explained that Sialkot and Jammu are relatively close to each other, with the distance between the two locations estimated at around 40 kilometres. Because of this proximity, a location error during the final approach can cause tracking platforms to incorrectly associate an aircraft with Jammu airport.

The experts stressed that such discrepancies do not necessarily indicate a problem with an aircraft’s own navigation system. Instead, they can result from inconsistencies between satellite-based positioning signals and data processed by third-party tracking services.

GPS interference has become a known issue in some parts of the region, particularly during periods of heightened security activity or military exercises.